Peanut Powder

This simple powder comes in very handy on days when you don't feel like preparing elaborate dishes.Just a spoonful of this powder with plain rice and a dollop of ghee can be real comforting.This definitely deserves a place in the kitchen next to its cousin 'paruppu podi' ;)

You'll need :
Peanuts(skinless) - 1and 1/4 cups
Grated coconut - 1/4 cup
Whole red chilli - 6 - 8
Sesame seeds - 2 tsp
Oil - 1 tsp
Salt - as needed

Method :
-In a pan on medium heat, add the peanuts and dry roast them until they are slightly browned.Remove them from the pan.
-Add the sesame seeds and dry roast until they are slightly browned .Remove them from the pan.
-Add a tsp of oil to the pan in low heat,add the whole red chillies and saute them until they puff up and turn crisp.Remove them from the pan.
-To the same pan add the coconut and saute until they are browned.
-To a blender add the whole red chillies and coconut and grind until they are coarsely powdered.Add the sesame seeds to the blender and pulse until they are powdered.Finally add the salt and peanuts and pulse slowly until the peanuts are just coarsely poweder.Be careful to not over grind as the whole mixture could become a paste.
-Transfer the contents to an airtight bottle.Done !

Thanks for stopping by !

Peanut Chutney

A simple creamy chutney that goes very well with idli and dosas.Yet another Quickie post !

You'll need:

Small onions - 5 - 8 (peeled and chopped )

Grated coconut - 2 - 3 tbsp

Peanuts (skinless) - 4 - 5 tbsp

Whole Red Chilli - 2

Oil - 1 - 2 tbsp

Tempering :

Oil - 1 tsp

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

Curry leaves - a sprig

Hing/Asafoetida - a pinch

Method :

-In a pan dry roast the peanuts.

-Heat a tsp of oil in the pan and when it heats up splutter the red chillies,then add the onions and saute until they just turn soft.Add the grated coconut and just saute for a few seconds.Switch off the stove.

-Transfer the contents of the pan and the peanuts to a blender and grind along with salt to a fine paste.Add water wThhile grinding, depending upon the desired consistency.

-In a pan heat oil and splutter the tempering ingredients.

-Transfer the tempering to the blender and pulse for a second.Done !

Thanks for a stopping by !
Sending this to Gayathri's Cook Spot hosted by Cookingwithsapana: Walk Through Memory Lane 2014

Vendakka Masala - Okra Masala

  Okra or Ladies Finger is one vegetable that we cook very often at home.This is one recipe that I prepare when we feel like having okra with Chapati.Okra has loads of health benefits.I still remember being told as a kid that Ladies finger is good for your brain and it helps you to be good at mathematics.I still don't understand logic behind Okra helping you with maths though :) But I really would be happy if it could help my brain with learning German.I've been here in Germany for more than 5 years now and I really wish to master the language,but I'm a real lousy student.I still manage to day dream during my German classes,something that I've been consistently doing from my school days :) The best part is my brain now sometimes get stuck with English words and comes up with an equivalent German word.I keep telling myself that It's because I'm getting older :) But then yesterday I happened to step into a Spanish language class by mistake and I noticed that almost half the students were people of the age group from 50 - 70.I was surprised as to how attentive and enthusiastic they appeared.I remember another memorable incident,before a month I happened to meet another old German lady at my language school.When I told her that I was from the southern part of India,she asked me if I was from Madras.When I said yes she asked me 'Vanakkam,eppadi irrukeenge ?'.I was really taken aback when she told me that she was doing a Tamil language course and she finds the script very interesting.Germany has a lot of immigrants from Sri Lanka and I guess that could explain the interest in Tamil.When I asked her what drives her to learn at this age,she smiled and simply answered that it makes her happy and keeps her gray cells alive :)Her attitude really touched me!
  Back to the recipe it's very simple and yumm ! This has been lying in my drafts from Christmas (as you can see from the pic:))..I hope I get to post more regularly and and clear my drafts soon :)

You'll Need:
Okra - 200 g
Onion - 1 big(chopped)
Tomato - 1 -2 big(pureed)
Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Red Chilli Powder - 1 tsp
Cumin Powder - 3/4 tsp
Coriander Powder - 1 tsp
Curd -3 - 4 tbsp
Kasoori Methi - 1 tsp
Garam Masala Powder - 1/2 tsp
oil -1 tbsp & 2 tsp
Coriander leaves - 1 tbsp(finely chopped)
salt as needed

Get,set,go:
-Clean the okras and pat them dry.Chop the crown and the rim.Cut them into 1" pieces.To a pan add one tbsp of oil and when it heats up add the chopped okra and salt as needed and saute on a low flame for 5 - 6 minutes until they are slightly crisp.Transfer the fried okra to another vessel.You can also deep fry the okra,it definitely enhances the taste.
-Add 2 tsp of oil to a pan and when it heats up add the onions and saute until they turn translucent.Then add the ginger garlic paste and saute until the mixture is well browned.
-Add the tomato puree and mix well.Add the turmeric powder,cumin powder,chopped coriander leaves,curd,coriander powder and chilli powder,salt and mix well.Cover and cook on a low flame for 5 -7 minutes.
-After 5 minutes when the mixture starts oozing oil,add about 1/2 a cup of water and mix well.
-Add the fried okra,Garam Masala Powder and Kasoori Methi powder and mix well.
-Let the mixture cook on a slow flame for another 5 - 7 minutes. Done !

Thanks for stopping by ! Have a nice day !

Anjappar Style Chicken Fry

'From the oven to the fridge',that's exactly how I feel.We are back from India's pleasant warmth to Germany's windy cold winter.And I've been catching one bug after the other,so couldn't spend time with my blog .Hope all of you are doing great :) This is one recipe that I came across in a magazine,the moment I saw the word 'Anjappar',I knew that I just had to try it.I simply love the non veg food at Anjappar.Honestly I don't even know if they offer veg dishes:)Well I haven't posted in a long time,so my brain is on the 'non-responsive' mode like the window browser,I can't get myself to write anything , So off to the recipe... ! 

Ingredients:

Chicken  - 200 g (boneless,cut into bite sized pieces)

Onion - 2 medium - big

Oil - 2 tbsp

Ghee -2 tbsp

Grated  ginger - 1 tsp

Grated garlic - 1 tbsp

Curry leaves - 1 sprig

Cashew nuts - 5 -6 (broken into small pieces)

Green Chilli - 2

Whole Red Chilli - 1 - 2

Pepper Powder - 2 tsp

Fennel seeds - 1 tsp

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Red Chilli powder - 2 tsp

Coriander powder - 2 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1 tsp

Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp

salt - as needed

Method:
-In a pan heat the oil,once it heats up splutter the Garlic,Ginger,Cashew nuts,Green chilli,Curry leaves,Whole Red chilli,Pepper powder,Fennel seeds and Cumin seeds one after the other and saute on a low flame.
-Then add the finely chopped onions and turmeric powder and saute until the onions are well browned.
-Add the Ghee and the chicken pieces and saute on a low flame.
-When it's half cooked add salt,Coriander powder,Red Chilli powder and Coriander leaves and mix well.Keep sauteing until the chicken is cooked and the gravy is well browned and dry.Done !

Thanks for stopping by ! Have a great day !

Nei Urundai - Moong Dal Laddoo

Wishing you all a wonderful New Year ! I know that I'm 20 days late,but better late than never:P This is a quickie post from Chennai,I would rather call it Madras.For those of us who love the city and its spirit it will always be Madras :)Little girl and I are happily lazing around here for a month now,filling our tummies with all kinds of good food.This is one place where I never log into the Internet, but I still don't feel cut off from the world.So off to one of the simplest yet tastiest sweets :)

You"ll Need:
Yellow Moong Dal - 1.5 cups
Powdered Sugar - 1 - 1.5 cups
Ghee - 1/4 cup
Cashew nuts (broken) - 2 tbsp
Whole Milk - 2 - 3 tbsp

Method:
-Dry roast the Moong dal on a low flame until it gives out a nice aroma.
-Grind it to a fine powder in a mixer. Sieve it to get a fine powder.
-Mix the moong dal powder and powdered sugar well.
-To a pan add the ghee and when it heats up add the cashew nuts and saute until it slightly changes in colour.
-Add the ghee and cashew mixture to the powder and when it's still warm shape them into small laddoos. If it's difficult to make ladoos or if the ladoos don't hold their shape sprinkle the milk little by little until you are able to make smooth ladoos.
-Store in air tight containers. Done !
Note:
-For a soft and smooth ladoo,grind the moong dal in a rice mill.

Thanks for stopping by ! Have a nice day !

Christmas Fruit Cake

Wishing you all a Merry and fun filled Christmas !
It's been 20 days since I posted,and as always I have a string of excuses :) Balancing my time between language classes and work at home I ended up neglecting my poor blog.Now that my exams are over I thought that it was high time I got my lazy self to post something.Christmas season is something that I wait for every year.The sight of the streets filled with decorated Christmas trees ,carols and smalls shops here in Germany fills my heart with joy and makes me feel like a child again.And luckily this year we've been blessed with a not so bad winter which has made it even more wonderful.Christmas isn't complete with a nut and fruit filled Fruit Cake.This cake is very close to my heart as this is one of the very first cakes that I ever baked.There are many versions of this,but this is a very simple but extremely flavorful version.I haven't visited your blogs in a long time,I'll soon catch up !

You'll Need:
For the Fruit Filling:
Candied Orange Peel - 100 g
Candied Lemon Peel - 100 g
Candied Cherries - 100 g
Raisins - 200 g
Dark Rum - 100 g
For the Cake:
Walnuts - 200 g
Unsalted Butter(softened) - 250 g
Brown Sugar - 200 g - 1 cup
Eggs - 3 large
All Purpose Flour - 200 g - 2 cups
Baking Powder - 1 tsp
Baking soda - a pinch
salt - 1/4 tsp



Method:
For the Fruit Filling:
-In a glass jar mix all the ingredients and mix well.Close the lid tightly and let it lay down on its side.
-Everyday just turn it a little so that all the fruits get evenly soaked with rum.
-Soak it at least one week ahead of when you plan to make the cake.You can soak the fruits even 1 - 3 months in advance.

For the Cake:
-Preheat the oven to 350 ° C.Spread the walnuts on a baking paper lined baking tray and bake for 7 minutes .Remove from the oven and break into smaller pieces.
-Sieve the Flour,baking powder,baking soda and salt well.
-Soften the butter,you can melt it and let it sit at room temperature for an hour or so.
-In a mixing bowl,beat the butter until its creamy and soft.Add the sugar and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.
-Add the eggs one after the other.Beating for 30 seconds after each addition on medium speed.
-Add the flour mixture and beat until its well incorporated.
-Add the and soaked fruit mixture and neat for about one minute on low speed.
-Add the walnuts and mix well.
-Fill a loaf pan ( 25 cm  X 7.5 cm) or a 10 " round pan and bake for 50 - 60 minutes in a preheated oven (175 ° C).Done !



Note:
-If you do not want to use rum,you could soak the fruits in apple juice.But the fruits can be soaked only before a week and the cake doesn't hold good for more than 4 - 5 days :)
-If making it with rum,the cake can be wrapped in air tight foil and it stays good for several weeks.Just wrap it airtight and once in 3 days brush it with a little rum.
-This cake tastes the  best when it sits for at least 24 hours after baking.

Banana Mug Cake - Sugarless dessert

Off late I've got this obsession for mug cakes ! I like them mainly because you don't have to get your beater out,all you  need to do is to mix and play around with the ingredients .The mug cakes also look real cute.But I never tried them out as they were mostly baked in the microwave oven.I'm one of those people who is strongly against using microwave ovens,I know that there are many people who cannot do without it and who would give me a long list of its benefits.But I'm not yet convinced :) If you're using a microwave this cake can be done in a minute or two.But with the good old convection oven it takes around 20 - 30 minutes.This cake has no flour or sugar and is almost of a mousse consistency.So off to the cute mug cake....

You'll Need:
Banana - 1 big
Peanut Butter - 1 tsp
Nutella - 1 tbsp
Almond Powder - 1 tbsp
Honey - 1/2 tsp (optional)
Egg - 1 medium
Baking soda - 1/8 tsp
Vanilla essence - a few drops
All purpose Flour or Whole wheat flour - 1 tbsp(optional) - I haven't added it,but for a more cake like texture you can add the flour.

Method:
-Peel,chop and mash the bananas with a fork in the mug.
-Add all the other ingredients to the mug and mix well.

-Preheat the oven to 350 ° F and bake for 25 - 30 minutes. Done !

Thanks for stopping by ! Have a great day !